Shedding mechanism for looms



(No-Model.)

A. SNOECK.' SHEDDING MEGHANISM FOR LOOMS.

No. 558,222. l Patentedpr. 14, 1826.

l v v Ea/ew: (Zer Smaak.

I LM

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo ALBERT SNOECK, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SHEDDING lVlECHA-NISIVI FOR LOOIVIS.'

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent N0. 558,222, dated April 14, 1896. Application led June 28,1892. Renewed September 5, 1895. Serial No. 561,753. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ALBERT SNoEoK, a subk j ect of the King of Belgium, residing at Hartford, Hartford county, Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Shedding Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciication, like letters and numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to improve and simplify the class of loom represented in my application, Serial No. 421,960, filed on the 18th day of February, 1892, that applica tion nbeing chieiiy for improvements in the shedding mechanism. In that application the cylinder or barrel carrying the patternsurface, besides its movement of rotation, had also a swinging motion, and it was during the swinging movement thereof that the patternsurface was made to act against the `ends of certain needles, which by their movement put into or out of operative position certain selecting-rods to be thereafter struck by what was designated as a jack-elevator to effect the distribution of the ordinaryhooked jacks for the shed to be made. Desiring to reduce the wear and strain on the pattern-surface (preferably a thin web of paper or combined paper and cloth) to a minimum, and thus enable the said pattern-surface to be used for an indefinite time without strain or injury', I have devised means whereby the pattern cylinder or barrel has only a rotary move'- ment, and preparatory to such movement of the pattern cylinder or barrel to bring into working position a new row of holes in the pattern-surface I by simple devices elevate bodily one end of all of the selecting-rods, and in so doing I positively remove quickly from the pattern-surface all the needles which at any time coperate with it for putting into position any selecting-rod. The change of position of the pattern-surface having been eected, the selecting-needles are permitted to descend for the slight distance that they are elevated. These needles, the ends of which are opposite holes in the pattern-surface, will enter such holes, while other needles will rest upon the pattern-surface. As

represented in the accompanying drawings,

the selecting-rods connected with these needles which enter holes in the pattern-surface are the ones which are left in active position to be struck by the jack-ele vator preparatory to making the next shed, and the selectingrods, cooperating with the needles having theirends resting against the pattern-surface, are put out of operative position with relation to the said jack-elevator; but it will be understood that the converse of this-viz., putting into active position the selecting-rods which have needles resting upon the pattern surfacewould be'within the scope of this invention. y

It will be understood in the operation of the devices to be herein described that the ends of the needles are lifted above the pattern-surface only far enough to let the paper pass without scratching against the ends of the needles, and consequently when the said needles are again permitted to descend their movement is so little that they have no opportunity to gain any momentum, and consequently the only strain upon the paper is that due simply to the weight of the needles and the slight weight of a portion of the selecting-rods supported by each needle. On the contrary, in the apparatusrepresented in the application referred to the movement of the pattern-surface forward to strike against the ends of the needles was very considerably greater than is herein necessary and in some cases the paper was liable to be injured.

Figure l represents a sufficient portion of a loom of well-known construction with my improvements added to enable the same to be understood. Fig. 2 is adetail showing the position of parts at the time that the patternpressors, so that the jacks when distributed prior to the production of each shed are moved in the one or the other direction, as

IOO

may be desired in the formation of the shed then next to be made.

In Fig. l immediately below the hooked jacks I have pivotally mounted a series of fingers g, made as elbow-shaped levers, which in practice will preferably have, simply to avoid friction, antifriction-rolls g, the said fingers having depending ends gx, which normally rest against a guide-bar g2. The guidebars g3 g4 are provided with suitable holes to receive and guide a series of needles a,having eyes, in which eyes and in holes in a guidebar g2 are free to slide the series of selectingrods a2 when acted upon by the jack-lifting device l) to be described.

E3 represents a belt-like pattern-surface, which may also be the same as provided for in my said application-t'. e., of paper, or paper and cloth, or other flexible materialthe same beingof any length desired. This pattern-surface is herein represented as extended over a substantially cylindrical pattern-cylinder 7L, (shown as a substantially circular drum lmounted on a shaft 712,) which may be rotated in any usual manner commonly practiced when rotating thev pattern-cylinders in looms, and as such pattern-cylinders rotated in fixed bearings are old I have considered it unnecessary to herein show such mechanism, because many varieties are weil known.

The pattern-surface is aided in maintaining its position on the pattern-cylinder by means of a suitable tension-drum D, and the pattern-surface in practice will and may have holes, as provided for in my said application, to be entered by suitable pins or projections, as 2, to thereby insure the proper travel of the pattern-su rface.

The particular construction of each shed depends upon the particular holes which may be uppermost and immediately under the needles a', and, as herein represented in the drawings, these selectin g-rods which have c0- operating with them needles which enter holes in the pattern-surface are those which are left within the range of movement of the jack-'elevator l), which in practice consists of a bar carried by two like arms 5X, secured to a rock-shaft b2, having a long arm b4, which is acted upon by a cam D of a shaft A, substantially at right angles to the usual lay or crank shaft A2, the shaft A6 deriving its movement from the crank-shaft A2 by or through suitable bevel or other gears, which are partially represented in Fig l. This cam and the jack-elevator deriving its movement froln it are and may be also substantially as in my said application.

The arms carrying the jack-elevator l) are herein made to constitute the actuating devices for the extractor n, the latter, as herein represented, consisting, essentially, of a bar represented in cross-section as carried by two like arms n', secured to a rock-shaft n2, having other arms n3, which are struck by the arms before referred to as carrying the jackelevator, the extractor being moved while the j ack-elevator is retiring from its operating position..

The extractor acts against the selectingrods and lifts them all, as represented in Fig. 2, so that the ends of the needles are extracted from the holes in the pattern-surface and the ends of all the needles are left just sufficiently above the pattern-surface as to enable the latter to be moved without scratching against the ends of the needles.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a space between the needle therein represented and the patternsurface, but the space therein is exaggerated and greater than necessary. To aid in keeping the pattern-surface upon the cylinder employed to move it and also to aid in keeping the pattern-surface smooth all the way across and avoid any possibility of its bulging for any reason, I have added apressure-roll m. This pressure-roll may have its ends j ournaled in suitable arms m', pivoted at m2, the roll being kept against the pattern-surface by or through the force of a suitable spring, as m3. This roll will have suitable annular grooves m4 to receive the pins 2, which engage and move the `pattern-surface. In practice I may use one or more of these pressure-rolls.

I have combined with the arm bx, carrying the jack-elevator b, an adjusting device p, (shown as a screw connected to the arm n3 of the extractor,) rotation of the adjusting device in one or the other direction providing for any defined space between the ends of the needles and the endless pattern-surface.

I have herein represented my invention as applied to operating a jack of one well-known form of loom; but it will be understood that my invention may be applied to operate the jacks in any form of loom without departing from my invention, and by the term jacks as employed in the claims I intend to include any jacks instrumental in determining the raising and lowering of the harness-frames.

I claim- IOO IIO

1. In a loom the following instrumentalities, viz: a series of harness-levers; a series of notched jacks connected thereto; a thin iiexible belt-like pattern-surface provided with holes; means to carry said pattern-surface; a series of needles having eyes lacted upon directly by said pattern-su rface; a series of selecting-rods carried by and sliding longitudinally in the eyes of said needles; a series of pivoted fingers acted upon by the selecting-rods and acting against the jacks; a jack-elevator to act directly against certain of the selecting-rods to effect the lifting of certain of the notched jacks according to the requirements of the pattern-surface, and with an extractor working against the selectingrods to lift them and the needles from the pattern-surface preparatory to its rotation, substantially as described. j

2. In a loom the following instrumenta'li ties, viz: a series of harness-levers; a series of notched jacks connected thereto; a thin flexible belt-like pattern-surface provided with holes; a series of needles having eyes acted upon directly by said pattern-surface; a series of selecting-rods carried by and sliding longitudinally in the eyes of said needles; a seiies of elbow-shaped pivoted lever-like 'fingers acted upon by the selecting-rods and in turn acting against and lifting the jacks; anda jack-elevator to act directly against certain of the selecting-rods to effect the distribution of the jacks, substantially as de- Io scribed.

In testimony-whereof I have signed :my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALBERT SNOECK. Witnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, FRANCES M. NOBLE. 

